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Fight killer robots for free in the new Oculus exclusive, Robo Recall

The new full-scale game from Epic is free for Touch owners.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
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Dan Ackerman
2 min read
Watch this: Robo Recall makes the case for Oculus Touch

What do you do when an out-of-control robot is rushing at you, mechanical eyes glaring red with murderous rage? In Epic's Robo Recall, an ambitious new VR game for the Oculus Rift, you have several choices. You can shoot the robot with whatever guns are in your virtual holsters. You can wait for the robot to get close enough, grab it, then literally rip its arms or head off. Or you can reach out with the Oculus Touch controllers, pluck a bullet from the air and fling it back at the robot that fired it.

robo-recall-1.jpg
Epic Games

It's one of the most polished-looking VR games I've played (and I've played a lot), and even better, it's free for Oculus Touch owners. You may remember Epic from games like Gears of War and Unreal Tournament, and the company's 2016 VR demo, Bullet Train, showcased a lot of mechanics used here.

This free game (it's $29 if you don't own the Touch controllers) follows a price cut on the Oculus Rift headset and the Touch controllers. Keep in mind, you'll still need an expensive gaming laptop or desktop to run your VR headset. But if you already own the Rift and Touch, head right on over to the Oculus app to download the game now. It's not perfect, but it's a great new showcase for the still-developing VR scene, and another reason why we've updated our Rift review to further sing the praises of the now-discounted Touch controllers.

Shiny new highlights for Robo Recall

  • Tongue-in-cheek humor reminds me a bit of Portal.
  • Great teleport-based locomotion which prevents motion sickness.
  • Excellent graphics for a VR game.
  • Easy to use menu, map and upgrade systems.
  • Wide variety of tactics and a reasonable amount of freedom.

Things that still feel a little rusty

  • Still not a ton of content, just a few areas and a handful of missions in each.
  • Because the Oculus sensors aren't designs for 360-degree movement, you're constantly being told to turn around and face the sensors.
  • Swapping between guns, grabbing bullets and moving and turning all at the same time feels a bit jumbled. Some control streamlining might help.
  • Spider-like robots jumping right on my face, I hate that.